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Topic: New in New Hampshire (Read 427 times)

Hello all New guy who's just setting up. I've wanted to try beekeeping for years but never had time. 2 1/2 years ago I injured my neck at work and have been stuck at home ever since. Last year I decided that I now have plenty of time on my hands, I'll go ahead and get started...but first thing first...I had to do research. After looking at many of the regular sites you find with a basic search, it was looking to be much more of a hassle than an enjoyable hobby. Chemicals and medications and supplements and hive sizes and foundation and so on and on and on... it was if many sites wanted to discourage people from keeping bees. Me being me, questioned a lot of what I read. Why do I need to have two deeps and then smaller boxes? Couldn't I use the same size hive boxes? Would the queen not lay eggs in a smaller box? If not, why not?How many times do feral bees get medicated? I knew the answer to that so I wondered why bees in a hive required it. Why do people have to feed their bees sugar water to get them through the winter? I've seen cut comb honey at stores, how did they do that with the plastic frames and foundation that many sites recommended? An important thought that came to me was...did I have to build a hive by stacking it? Could a beehive be built by just lengthening the bottom box to that the hive is horizontal instead of vertical?Searching for an answer to that question landed me on Michael Bushes website. His site answered answered many of the questions I've had with simple explanations and examples from his own experience. I believe in the K.I.S.S. system and here was a guy promoting it. I now have the material for two hives using mediums and foundationless frames and am waiting for 1 package of bees which will arrive on May 5th. The bees I ordered are Italian being shipped from Ga to a local bee supplier. After they get going, I'll be getting a northern raised queen from a place in Vermont that seems to breed good stock. I'll throw the original queen in a nuc until the new queen is accepted. I'm also spreading 10 lbs of clover seed in the field to give them plenty to eat.

Welcome to the forum. Much of what you say is roundly debated and cussed ands discussed. Automatic mnedication is indeed not a good idea. One size smaller, 6 5/8 boxes, are indeed very workable and a good idea for someone with spine problems. Getting survivor stock is indeed a good idea. Nothing wrong with good genetics.

However, not feeding livestock if they need it is plain silly. We keep bees in an artificial situation. A swarm didn't pick your chosen location to live. You did. If you choose poorly they may not be able to live off local forage or at least get started and develope off what is available. The clover is indeed a good thing but clover is a biennial and won't supply nectar or pollen until the year after it is planted. Feral bees are indeed not medicated and almost completely died out when Varroa Destructor reached our shore. It is called animal husbandry when you keep livestock for a reason. Words mean things.

One couldn't argue that if they need to be fed that you should feed them. My point was more towards people that harvest the honey in the fall and then that day or the next they're putting up feeders to try to replace the food that they took. My argument for those people has always been, if they think that honey and sugar is the same, then why not save themselves the work of harvesting it and just eat the sugar themselves. When my bees arrive, I'll be feeding them even though they'll be plenty of blossoms by then. Personally, I'm not going to be raising bees for the honey. Although I'm sure I'll be harvesting a frame here and there, you won't be finding a sign on the end of my driveway that says "Local Honey"As far as forage, my location has acres of fields with wild flowers. The mixture is enough that there is something in bloom from late winter/early spring to late fall. The reason for the clovers is to give them a bit of a boost. My field has some clover, I'm just adding a lot more too it. I'll be seeding white clover, which is a perennial, and red clover which is an annual. I'll be planting other things as well for different reasons, such as a row of rose-of-sharons to create a wind block. I'm always open to advise. I'm also can accept criticism. If someone feels I'm doing something wrong, by all means, tell me and let me know why it's wrong and how to set it right.